


Refuge

by strawberriesandtophats



Category: Endeavour (TV)
Genre: Acceptance, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-27 14:28:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15026666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberriesandtophats/pseuds/strawberriesandtophats
Summary: Prompt:Max DeBryn is gay and everyone at the station knows about it, but do not make a fuss and respect and love him.





	Refuge

“I can’t help noticing that you haven’t arrested me yet,” DeBryn said, putting away a number of strange metallic tools that Jakes had no desire to even know what were for.

“What, for carrying knives or something?” Jakes said, eyeing one of the sharp knives and trying to not to breathe in all those chemicals in the air. He’d come down here for a report and gotten one but had found himself lingering at the sight of multi-coloured bottles and anatomical drawings.

The basement was empty and so clean that even the paint gleamed. And the slab was cold to the touch. It had been a day of endless paperwork and grey skies. The door behind them was closed and so were the windows.

No one outside could hear a word.

“No,” DeBryn said. “You know why. Not that I want you to fish out the handcuffs.”

Jakes inclined his head, fingers twitching towards his pocket for his cigarettes. Morse had called his smoking a self-soothing habit once, just before reaching for a cigarette himself.

And besides, he did know. Everyone at the station knew. DeBryn didn’t go out of his way to disguise all the evidence of his preferences, which some might have considered to be a crime in itself. Plenty of blokes got arrested for just that, police officers being professionally suspicious bastards.

It was enough of a hassle to keep Morse away from those guys, not that he always could. He’d seen how Morse stopped eating, how he became a skittish mess after spending too long at the County station. Some nights, when walking too close together on their way home to Morse’s bedsit, Jakes wondered how much Morse’s reputation of being a cultured man who was always in love with at least two women at any given time was helping them out in hiding their on-off fling.

Everyone had their secrets.

Choosing to look the other way when it came to something like this was just better for all involved. They had better things to do. Catching murderers and thieves was a higher priority than this.

And DeBryn was so good at his job that other stations kept sending Mr. Bright suggestions about sending DeBryn off to Scotland or to the Yard for ridiculous sums and the hints of political favours if he did. When Bright had told DeBryn about it he’d shaken his head and told him that he preferred to be where he was.

Besides, you didn’t take someone like that for granted.

“I’d have to arrest myself,” Jakes said, with a small shrug. “Among others.”

He’d never said anything like this out loud to anyone and always pushed the thought aside whenever it showed up unbidden like some stinky leftovers in his fridge. He had enough practice not thinking about himself, of course.

DeBryn made a hum of acknowledgement, moving a jar of something orange an inch to left. He didn’t look surprised, but then again, he never really did.

“Better to know where you stand,” DeBryn said. “In case the shit hits the fan one day.”

“In case you need to call the cavalry?” Jakes asked, trying to lighten the mood, already stepping towards the door.

“In case anyone of us needs it,” DeBryn said.

“Right,” Jakes said, turning the knob. “Just in case.”


End file.
